Title: Complicated
Author: Ex-Professor Remus
Lupin
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Era: Marauder (6th
year)
Pairing(s): Remus/Sirius
Summary: Oh, I want you to
know but then again I don't.
Disclaimer: This story is
based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling,
various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,
Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money
is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This is…this
just sort of fell on my head. I sincerely doubt it's very original
but I do try. Feedback would be appreciated.
-
Remus isn't sure how, but the topic has moved from James moaning over his latest failure at getting Lily to go on a date with him to girls they want to sleep with. The first name to tumble from James' lips is Lily of course and he looks every bit like a love struck fool. Sirius throws a pillow at him from the bed where he's sprawled. Which happens to be Remus' bed and Remus is stuck with the eldest Black son leaning against his legs as he has then pulled up so that he can rest a book there. If it weren't for the fact that Remus is trying to concentrate on reading, he wouldn't mind, but the warm weight is every bit as distracting as Sirius as a whole.
"What about you, Padfoot?" Peter asks curiously, his face still flushed after having revealed his desire for Eliza Kinney, the sixth year Hufflepuff.
James and Sirius had spent the better part of five minutes trying to get him to say anything. Sirius' eyes are closed now, a bemused smile still gracing his lips as he cracks one eye open at Peter's question. Long fingers move gracefully over the coverlet and find Remus' ankle. Remus twitches under the touch because Sirius' hands are cold.
"You're hands are cold, Sirius," he points out.
"I don't know. Really now, Moony?" he asks, pulling Remus' leg.
Remus isn't expecting it and with a yelp of surprise he's on his back, his book falling onto the ground with a thud, and Sirius is hovering above him, grinning madly.
"Sirius," he grumbles.
"What about you, Moony," he says. "Who do you want to shag?"
Remus glares up at him. James and Peter are laughing from the other bed and Sirius has that smug look on his face like he knows something.
"No one; now get off me, you're heavy," Remus answers irritably, placing his palm against Sirius' shoulder and shoving him.
"Not until you tell me," Sirius says, catching his wrist and trapping it against his side.
"You first," Remus growls, eyes narrowing in what is clearly a challenge.
"Yeah, Pads, all those girls fawning after you, there has to be one that you fancy a shag with," James prods.
Remus glances over at him and he's got this ridiculous grin on his face like he knows something that Remus doesn't. Which isn't really very often. Sirius is glaring at James as well, which is a surprise because Sirius has only been mad at James twice. Once in second year when James had been worrying over whether or not Remus was going to eat them. Sirius had smacked him then. The last time had been when James had jokingly called him queer. Sirius had glared at him and promptly gone off by himself for a few hours. He had come back and everything had been fine. James was sure not to make that mistake again.
"Shut up, Prongs," Sirius mutters and he's releasing Remus and sitting back up, looking as if someone has just kicked him.
"Narcissa?" Peter guesses. James is the one to throw the pillow this time and Sirius does a good job of making it clear that he isn't going to sink so low as to be a decent Black by having sex with his cousin.
"That's just disgusting, I mean Narcissa's going with that older bloke, Lucius Malfoy," James says.
"Not to mention that Narcissa is Sirius' cousin," Remus says, rubbing his wrist as he sits up, curling his legs to the side so he's not in such a delicate position for being tackled and pinned.
"Aren't you related to the Malfoys?" Peter asks, looking at Sirius.
"Yeah, there like second cousins or something," Sirius growls, looking irritable, arms crossed defensively. "It doesn't matter anyways because you're wrong. I've got no urge to shag any of my cousins, including Andromeda," he says sharply, making it clear that just because she's his favorite cousin doesn't mean anything.
"So who do you like?" Peter asks, fluffing the pillow that James had thrown at him and trying not to look at all interested.
"Yes," James says, smirking. "Who do you want to shag?"
Remus has the uncomfortable feeling that James' eyes flit briefly to him, but he quickly throws that thought away as Sirius glowers at James and then looks at Peter and him before he bows his head.
"It's a record," Peter says with a grin. "Sirius Black is blushing."
"Shut up, Wormtail," James says and Peter falls quiet. "Well?"
Sirius has muttered something under his breath and he's looking so ashamed that Remus is tempted to put a hand on his shoulder. Could it really be so bad?
"I didn't catch that," Peter says looking up at James for clarification.
"I said Remus," Sirius says, louder this time and James is looking satisfied and Remus can't breath. "There, happy. I'm leaving."
He's gone before anyone can really do anything and Remus is still staring after him, too surprised to say anything.
"Remus?" Peter's voice is a bit tight as if he's not sure what to say.
Remus doesn't say anything; he's already up and opening one of the nightstand drawers, retrieving the map. Before Peter or James can say much of anything, he's opening the door. Peter in turn, glances uncertainly at James and asks, just as Remus is closing the door behind him, the words drifting out into the hallway behind him, "Sirius is gay?"
He doesn't have his wand, he realizes, and it takes three tries to get the map to work, and he's in his pajamas. Sirius is of course, off in his boxers, which for early spring in Scotland, can only lead to a chill. He's aware that students are looking at him and he catches a few snatches of something about Sirius leaving in a huff.
Without even looking up from the name on the map, Remus is out in the hallway, heading toward the Astronomy Tower. It seems to take forever to climb up the steps, but he finally does, easing open the door and stepping out onto the tower's garret.
Sirius is standing by one of the windows just out of sight of the door. It's behind the stairs up to the roof where they had taken their O.W.L.S. nearly a year before and the perfect place to stand really. He's a mass of black against a starlit night sky. Remus moves across the room toward him and he stops, just shy of being able to reach out and touch his shoulder to get his attention.
"Sirius," he says quietly and he sees Sirius' shoulders, tensed with some emotion, relax. It's almost a submissive gesture and Remus can't say anything else, though a million things need to be said.
"Remus," Sirius' voice breaks on the last few letters and Remus moves forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, not quite sure what else to do. "Sorry."
He sounds as if he's apologizing for everything and not just what happened not ten minutes before.
"Don't make it complicated," Remus answers, removing his hand and leaning onto the sill, nudging Sirius' shoulder with his own as he turns his eyes outside.
It's strange because Remus always makes things complicated. He always has to over think things. But, this just isn't a time for over thinking. It's a time to let actions speak for him because he's not sure he'll say the right thing.
They stay like this for a few moments, side by side, Remus watching the moon as it wanes, and Sirius watching Remus, his handsome face twisted with emotions. With a soft smile, Remus unclasps his hands and drops the left casually on top of Sirius' right, entwining their fingers. Sirius' gaze drops to their hands and then back to Remus' face.
"Remus?" Sirius voice is a steadier now, and Remus twists his body a bit and looks at him.
The dark strands of hair are shaggy now from not having been cut since fifth year. It's over his collar now and Remus is sure that McGonagall is going to notice soon and have a conniption.
"Doesn't matter," Remus says and he leans in and kisses him.
It's not the most perfect of kisses. Sirius tastes salty. Remus rationalizes that he's been crying, but he decides if anyone asks, he'd had salted pork just before. But, that doesn't really matter because Remus has never kissed anyone before; let alone Sirius Black, who is rumored to have shagged most of their year, not including the Slytherins of course.
They pull apart, Sirius' gray eyes wide with surprise.
"I," and Sirius can't manage much else because Remus is smirking.
"You think to much," and this time, Sirius moves forward and kisses him.
-
Author's Note: Yeah, that's
right, I wrote fluff. See, not all of my one shots are angst-filled
and depressing.
